Scars That Linger
by kath0410
Summary: Faberry Week Day 1: Scars. Quinn has been through a lot of bad experiences in her life, leaving her with many scars buried deep inside her. But through it all, through the pain she has felt and still feels at times, Rachel has always stayed with her and loved her, scars and all.


**A/N: Happy Faberry Week! I've currently written 5 out of the 7 themes so far, including this one. I probably won't be writing for the Doppelganger theme because I seriously cannot come up with anything for it. Who knows, though? I might come up with something for it. Or not. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this and the other stories I would be uploading as the week progresses.  
**

* * *

_People have scars in all sorts of unexpected places, like secret road maps of their personal histories, diagrams of all their old wounds. Most of our old wounds heal, leaving nothing behind but a scar. But some of them don't. Some wounds we carry with us everywhere and though the cut's long gone, the pain still lingers._

_-Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy_

* * *

Quinn Fabray had been through a lot in her life. She'd gotten pregnant, got kicked out of her parents house, leaving her with no choice but to jump ship from house to house. Her parents found out while they were having dinner inside their large, three-story house. Finn had 'accidentally' spilled it out by singing a song about Quinn having his baby. Which, of course, was a complete lie.

Finn was her boyfriend at the time, but she had gotten pregnant with Puck's baby at a party. Of course, she'd done her best to hide it from her boyfriend, but like all secrets, it came out eventually. She'd lived at his house before the truth was out, and when it did, she found herself gotten kicked out. Not to mention, of course, that she'd also gotten kicked out of the Cheerios.

Because of that, she became a nobody. The people didn't part like the red sea every time she walked by, and she found herself getting pushed and slammed around during multiple occasions. Needless to say, she cried. A lot.

Then, she moved to Puck's. She hated it. His siblings were loud and rambunctious and she could barely get any sleep at night. Then, his mother wouldn't let him eat bacon. She was grouchy most of the time, and she really, really hated spending time with Puck. Even at his own house, he'd still try to get into her pants while she was _pregnant_. Pregnant, for God's sake!

She couldn't believe what she had done. She never should have allowed herself to get drunk or let her insecurities get the best of her. And she had to trust _Puckerman, _of all people. The walking manwhore that would bang any chick that crossed his way.

She would cry to herself at night, wishing that she would just vanish and that everything that was happening to her was just a nightmare and that she would wake up next day, still be the head of the Cheerios, and never have to worry about the baby that was slowly, yet steadily, growing in her womb.

It was her mistake, though, so she had to suck up to it.

And then, while she was sitting alone in the library, Mercedes joined her. The diva asked her about how she was doing at Puck's, and she'd said that it was horrible and that his mom wouldn't let her eat bacon. Mercedes took her hand and said that she could stay at her place, since her brother was off to college.

Eager to get out of Puck's place, and grateful for the offer, she accepted.

Staying at Mercedes' house made her happy. The diva's family was cheerful, and they accepted her like she was their own. They never judged her when they found out that she was pregnant, and she was free to take out all her pent-up frustrations in their house. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had a real family. She didn't have to be the perfect, fake girl that her father always told her to be. She could be herself, and it made her relieved.

Still, though, she wished that her father could just accept her and that her mother at least stood up for her. It was painful, because at the end of the day, they were still her parents.

She still cried herself to sleep most nights.

Then came Regionals. After the performance, her mother had come up to her and said that she wanted her back. Before she could say anything, though, her water broke. And so, she was rushed to the hospital.

There she gave birth to a beautiful and perfect little girl. The girl had her light hazel eyes, her pale complexion, and her eyebrows. She felt joy in that moment as she held Beth in her arms, the wonderful feeling of being a mother radiating in that moment.

But, like any other happy moments in her life, it was short-lived and taken away from her.

She had to give away her daughter to Shelby, the one who would be able to give her daughter what she would need. She knew she was doing the right thing, but it still opened up a new wound inside her heart. She cried again that night - the hardest she had ever cried since finding out that she was pregnant. She missed the warm weight in her arms, seeing the wonder in Beth's eyes as their gazes locked.

And even months later, her hand would unconsciously rub her stomach, waiting for the kick that would never come.

Then Senior year came, and she'd gone through a significant change. She pushed all her friends away, and her mother still wasn't the mother Quinn had expected her to be since she came back. Some things, she thought, would never change.

She'd attempted to get Beth back, but it backfired on her when Puck betrayed her, leading to Shelby not allowing her to see Beth ever again until she got her act together. Another wound had opened, larger than all her other wounds. The thought of not seeing Beth again; that her daughter might live to never know who her real mother was pained her more than anything else.

She was a mess all throughout her high school life, and those wounds still lingered in their own way.

But there was one person that was with her through it all; the one who never gave up on her.

_Rachel Berry_.

Rachel had always made sure that she was doing okay and that she wouldn't do anything stupid, for that matter. Like reporting Shelby when she found out that the older woman had been sleeping with Puck in a last, desperate attempt to get her daughter back. Rachel made her realize that what she was going to do would affect Beth in the worst possible way, and that Shelby would be able to raise her, something that Quinn wouldn't be able to do because she still had her whole life ahead of her.

Rachel was the one who was there who held her whenever she broke down; the one she'd call whenever she wanted someone to talk to. Rachel would hold her close, rub her hands against her back and whisper that everything would work out.

There were times that she thought they never would, that the wounds would be there forever and never close up. The pain of losing her father, then her daughter, and living in a house where her mother might as well be a stranger.

The last thing she ever expected to do was fall in love with Rachel. But she did, anyway. She couldn't help it. Rachel was so warm, so bright. She'd never given up on her, not once. She'd made her realize that she could still make it out of Lima despite all the bad things she had gone through.

It was because of Rachel's faith in her that she sent that application to Yale, where she got accepted. When Rachel found out, she squealed in delight and hugged Quinn. And she smiled as she held Rachel in her arms. For the first time in her life, she finally felt that she had something good going on in her life.

Days later, she finally found the courage to ask Rachel out. She could remember the brunette smile shyly at her, asking if she was sure she wanted to go out on a date with her. She answered by saying that yes, she was sure.

She made sure that the date was perfect, because anything less wouldn't please Quinn. She wanted her first date with the girl she loves to be perfect, so she did everything that she could to make sure that it was.

When she picked Rachel up at her dads house, she could remember her breath being stolen away at the sight of Rachel descending the stairs. She was wearing a knee-length jade green dress, a pair of white high heels, her silky chestnut hair curled in loose ringlets, and her cheeks flushing a light pink at the way Quinn stared at her.

Rachel was the vision of beauty and perfection in that moment.

That date eventually led into many more dates, even until they had to go their separate ways, with Rachel going to New York for NYADA, and Quinn in New Haven for Yale. The long distance was hard, but they still found a way to make it work. Quinn would call Rachel in the middle of the night just to say that she missed and loved her, and Rachel would say the words back in that beautiful, angelic voice of hers.

She hadn't told her mother of her relationship with Rachel well until their sophomore year in college. And when she did, her mother yelled at her, saying how it was a sin and that she was no longer her daughter unless she broke up with Rachel right that instant.

Quinn cried that night, a new wound opening up. She thought that her mother would at least try to understand, but it turned out that she was wrong. But between Rachel and her mother, she chose Rachel. She loved Rachel with an absolute certainty, and she wasn't about to give up the best thing in her life for a mother that never stood up for her or listened to her.

She called Rachel right after that, telling the brunette about her conversation with her mom in between sobs. Hours later, she heard a knock in her dormitory door. When she opened it, she saw Rachel standing in front of her, phone in hand and a worried look on her face. She immediately flung herself into the brunette's arms, allowing her warmth and beautiful strawberry-laced scent to comfort her.

In that moment, she knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life - no, forever - with Rachel.

"Quinn, sweetie?" Rachel's sweet, melodious voice filled her ears, breaking Quinn out of her reverie.

"Yes, baby?" Quinn asked as she pecked the brunette on the lips.

"You've been staring into space for a long time," Rachel giggled as she laced their fingers together under the sheets. "What are you thinking about?"

Quinn smiled and brought their laced fingers out of the bed, staring at the matching gold bands that their ring fingers wore. She brought her wife's hand to her lips, pressing a kiss to the cool, golden band.

"Just how lucky I am to have you as my wife," she smiled, "and how much I love you."

"Sap," Rachel teased, grinning widely. "I love you, too, Quinn."

Quinn smiled widely and pulled Rachel's body flush against hers. She buried her face into chestnut locks, inhaling the faint smell of sweat and sex from their lovemaking the previous night.

Like any other person, she had scars buried deep inside her. But even though the pain still lingered at times, she knew that Rachel would always be there to keep them at bay.

Rachel Barbra Berry-Fabray was the one that healed her wounds and loved her unconditionally despite the many scars she had inside of her. And she definitely wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
